Blog entry by Marian Brough
What You Need to Know About Outdoor Wood Burners
Outdoor wood burners are an affordable way to heat homes and businesses. They also help reduce dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels and help to create a more resilient energy strategy.
A well-seasoned small wood burner is vital for efficient burning. Wood that is not seasoned or green may contain more moisture, which can cause creosote to build up and slow down performance.
Efficient
Outdoor wood burners (OWBs) have been around for many years and offer a very green and efficient method to heat your home. However, the typical design of OWBs, which encourages a slow, cooler fire, causes poor combustion and more smoke, creosote, and particulates. These unburnt fuels can cause health problems and fire hazards, as well as affect the environment around them.
Moreover, the visible smoke that OWBs produce could cause neighbors to voice their concerns and could lead to DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) enforcement actions. This kind of public relations issue can be a significant impact on the value of your property, and could even lead to your OWB being shut down.
Crown Royal Stoves has a range of outdoor wood furnaces that are EPA Certified. The Pristine Gasification Series makes use of technology to improve the efficiency of combustion and produce an unburned, clean and smoke-free. This is achieved by using the negative pressure air system that draws fresh hot, dry clean air in from the bottom of the boiler and pushes it back out through the chimney at a higher rate than conventional outdoor wood boilers. This is accomplished through the unique design of an encapsulated, multi-pass heat exchanger made from 409 Titanium Enhanced Stainless Steel.
When properly utilized when properly used, When properly used, the Pristine Series OWB has a 99% combustion rate for a smoke-free and cleaner fire. It requires less wood and produces significantly less emissions than traditional OWBs. To enhance the effectiveness of your OWB, it is important to burn dry, clean, and seasoned wood. It is recommended that you get your cast iron wood burner seasoned for a minimum of six months or one year before burning it. This will ensure the most efficient and clean burn.
In addition to increasing the efficiency of your freestanding wood burner stove it is also possible to increase its efficiency by performing a "dry burn" every week. This method lowers the amount of creosote in your home, increases boiler efficiency and prolongs the life of your boiler. Additionally, by adding a creosote removal stick each time you load your stove, you can dramatically reduce the amount of creosote used. This product is available at Wisconsin Wood Furnace.
Clean
The soot particles that are left on the stove after burning wood may make a wood stove look very dirty. They are difficult to clean so make sure you clean any buildup on your stove's glass immediately. Soot that is not removed will harden, making it even more difficult to remove. It is essential to select the right cleaners however, you must avoid damaging the glass surface by using anything that can scratch it. This could result in an area of weakness that could break glass when exposed to high temperatures.
Before you begin cleaning your wood stove, you should make sure that it's not lit and completely cool. Also, ensure that the area around it is covered with newspaper. This will stop the ash from spilling and staining surfaces.
It could take as long as one year for the seasoning of your stove to be complete, based on the quality of wood you use. The wood that is properly seasoned will not only burn more efficiently, but will also produce less creosote. This is the kind of material that is able to build up on your woodburning fireplace, reducing its efficiency and creating a potential fire hazard. If you're using unseasoned wood or are just beginning a new fire in your outdoor wood burner the best thing to do is open the lower back door and scoop ashes out into a non-combustible container every week.
It is also recommended to perform a sediment flush on your boiler at a minimum every four years. This is a straightforward flush that takes five seconds from the bottom drain valve on your boiler. This will eliminate any accumulation of sediment within the system and help keep your boiler in great functioning condition.
After you have cleaned the exterior of your fireplace that is outside, it is time to clean it. Before you begin, it's important to cover the stove's area with newspaper. Wearing gloves and eye protection is an excellent idea. You should also have an shovel, a metal container for ash and scraping tools. To protect the refractory you need to lay a cloth on it to protect it from damage as you scrape away ash and coal deposits.
Easy to operate
Despite their popularity (they were one of the 1990s' "it" trends, as were mullet haircuts) outdoor wood boilers, also referred to as outdoor furnaces or outdoor wood hydronic heaters are still often misunderstood. They are not the same as the well-known EPA wood stoves, which are made to burn low temperatures and run continuously. They are able to produce a higher rate of burning and produce more smoke. This is why some local governments regulate or even ban their use.
OWBs work best for homes that have high levels of insulation. Smoke that is dense and smoldering could be a nuisance to neighbors, resulting in many OWBs to be shut down or even sued. To ensure that OWBs to function properly, they must be operated using dry wood that has low moisture content. Utilizing unseasoned or green wood reduces efficiency, leads to creosote accumulation and can shorten the life of the burner. Drying wood takes time and an instrument to measure moisture is a must for the homeowner.
Dual-stage wood gasification (OWGB) boilers, on the other hand they employ a three-step procedure which makes use of the energy available in the wood. This results in less smoke. These furnaces are more efficient than traditional OWBs, and are suitable for a wide range of fuels. Wood gasification boilers require dry well-seasoned and well-seasoned firewood. Most wood will season within a year, but oak and other species with a hardy structure may take two years or more to fully season. They are less water-based and have a greater density. This enables them to hold heat longer, thus increasing efficiency and reduce pollution. The EPA's "Burn Wise" website and Cornell Cooperative Extension can help homeowners learn more about how to burn wood efficiently to minimize pollution to the air.
Low Maintenance
Modern outdoor wood furnaces are designed with the environment in mind. Modern outdoor wood furnaces do not emit excessive heat or CO2. They also burn more efficiently than indoor wood burning stove, Tongcheng.jingjincloud.Cn, wood stoves. They also require less wood to generate the same amount of heat as traditional stoves.
Outdoor wood burners require less maintenance and are more tolerant of the moisture content of wood than indoor wood burning stoves. However outdoor wood burners should only be used with properly prepared or "cured" wood. Some types of wood can take up to a year. It is essential to utilize a moisture gauge to measure the amount of water of your wood before loading.
When operating, it is essential to inspect the system periodically for creosote accumulation. Creosote is a byproduct of combustion that can build up in the chimney and flue if it is not cleaned on a regular basis. It can be removed by pouring a creosote removal product into the fire. Regular cleaning of the chimney and flue will eliminate dangerous creosote and increase efficiency.
Crown Royal Stoves developed a new airflow technique called Negative Pressure Gasification to achieve 99% combustion efficiency. Our EPA certified Pristine Series outdoor wood furnaces employ this technology to pull air from the bottom, directing all of the gasses through an insulated water surrounded secondary combustion chamber with easy-clean Turbulators to ensure a smoke-free and pollution-free burn.